The present invention relates to grills, more particularly to portable commercial outdoor cooking grills with a large cooking surface. Grills of the commercial type are typically large, bulky devices used for events in which large quantities of food need to be prepared at one time.
The grills typically have a firebox containing a plurality of gas burners where each burner is independently controlled by a manually operated gas control valve. Typically a multiple piece radiant guard is placed directly above the burner to reduce flare-ups and protect the burners from debris. The radiant guards that protect the burners in the prior art, are burdensome to remove for cleaning and fall out of place when the grill is transported or tilted on its side.
Typically, gas is supplied to the burners from a portable gas source such as a liquid propane (LP) tank. Gas is directed from the LP tank through the gas control valves to the burners. The prior art typically does not provide a source of ignition to light the gas exiting the burners which forces the operator of the grill to use another means for ignition such as matches or an elongated butane lighter. At best, some of the prior art uses a spark type ignition which allows the operator to press a spark ignitor while simultaneously turning on the burner gas valve. These spark ignitions are sensitive to moisture and are an unreliable means of igniting the gas in situations where burners are constantly being turned on and shut off. Igniting the burners becomes burdensome and dangerous in the prior art if the burners are constantly being turned on and off since gas may accumulate in the firebox increasing the chance of a flare-up or an explosion when the burner is relit.
The firebox is typically mounted on a cart with wheels or pipe legs so they can be transported from one location to another. However, the overall shape of these commercial grills renders them awkward for transportation and makes storage difficult since an abundant amount of floor space is required to allow placement of the grilling units side by side. These transportation and storage restrictions limit the amount of commercial grills available at one time if adequate storage and transportation are not available.
The present invention is particularly directed to a portable gas grill which can be stacked for easy transportation and storage. The grill in the present invention has a firebox which incorporates a pair of foldable legs that support the unit when the grill is in use. When the grill is not in use or is transported, the legs can be folded into a recessed area under the firebox. When the legs are folded, the overall grill height is greatly reduced thereby allowing the units to be stacked upon one another for easy storage and transportation. A lip on the firebox allows the units to be stacked and prevents movement. A benefit derived from the ability to stack the grill units is the large amount of space saved when transporting or storing.
The invention incorporates a single piece radiant guard section to cover a plurality of burners in the firebox. By using a one piece radiant guard section, the installation and removal becomes a one step operation greatly reducing the difficulty and amount of time required to remove and install the guard for cleaning purposes. The radiant guards as well as all other components of the grill are secured to the firebox which allows the operator to tip the grill on its side for transportation without all of the components moving out of place.
To reduce the risk of flare-ups or the possibility of an explosion, the present invention incorporates a pilot light system to allow an operator to start a burner without using a supplemental lighting source such as matches or a spark type ignition that needs to be used each time a burner is turned on. An ignitor initially lights the pilot light that maintains a pilot runner tube from which each burner individually lights. Using a pilot light system not only provides additional protection to the operator from potential explosions from unlit gases, but adds convenience by allowing the operator to repeatedly turn the burners on and off.